What happened to the new survivor activity icons talked about in the January 2022 Developer Update?
I’m wondering what’s the status of the new survivor activity icons that were talked about at length in the January 2022 Developer Update (see the linked update below)? There was a large section detailing how the escape rates between swfs and solo survivors was too high (up to 15% difference is mentioned in that update) and one of the things in early development was icons that would appear on the HUD showing survivors what each survivor was doing, such as a generator icon when they were working on a gen or a chase icon if they were being chased or a healing icon if they were healing, etc.
I was a little surprised nothing was mentioned about this in the 6th anniversary roadmaps, etc, since it had such a big section devoted to it in January and sounded like something that is definitely doable at a technical level. Is it still in the pipeline, was it postponed to do all the big perk and base game changes in the next midchapter and then will be back on track? Or did it run into some unexpected issue and had to be scrapped?
Kind of mysterious, it’s really got me curious.
@Peanits said:
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Happy New Year! We’re back after a quick break and jumping right back into things with another developer update. Like last time, there’s too much to go through in one sitting, so check back tomorrow for part 2. Most of this will appear in the upcoming Mid-Chapter, but we also wanted to be a bit more transparent with what we’re working on for the future. For the sake of clarity, we’ve marked anything that’s for a later update with “Future”.
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Future: Patch Optimization Plans
Depending on where you play, it can either take a while to install a patch or patch sizes can be unusually large. Needless to say, this isn’t ideal: When new content releases, who wants to wait around for it? That’s why we’re working on improving the update process going forward.
First of all, why does it take so long? To keep it simple, the game is split up into small chunks. This way when the game updates, you only need to download the chunks that changed rather than the whole game. The trouble is, as the game has grown over the years, so have these chunks, which makes downloads and/or patch times (depending on which platform you’re on) longer.
So what are we doing about it? In the short term, for Steam only due to technical reasons, we will be compressing the files more starting this Mid-Chapter. This will make patch times as much as 50% faster and decrease the amount of disk space required by about 18 GB.
Next, we’ll be restructuring these chunks in a future update. This will affect all platforms and make patch times up to 200% faster!
IMPORTANT NOTE: In both cases, these improvements will require you to completely redownload the game. This means there will be a very large download when updating or opting into or out of the PTB. Don’t worry, this is normal! Afterwards, updates will go back to being much smaller.
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Future: Matchmaking Optimization Plans
We’re a few months into Skill Based Matchmaking (SBMM), and we’d like to shed some light on what we’ve been working on and the improvements we’ll be making going forth. Though it may be polarizing, we want to be as transparent as possible when it comes to SBMM, as the discussions that stem from it are incredibly valuable to us as we continue to work on improvements.
The game and the community are constantly changing, and the matchmaking system should always be adapted to support them. This is why we’re constantly making changes behind the scenes. One recent example came from an influx of new players. We noticed that the default rating was placing first-time players against some fairly experienced opponents. So, to remedy this, we lowered the default rating for new players so they would be more likely to play amongst each other. We’re regularly making changes like this behind the scenes to find the best balance of fast queues and quality matches.
Beyond small tweaks, we’ve identified some areas where the system could be improved. Let’s run through each of them quickly:
Backfill Improvements
If someone leaves a lobby, the matchmaker needs to find a replacement (a.k.a. backfill). Right now, it heavily favours a quick replacement over a quality one. This can lead to some matches where one (or more) players are outside of their normal skill range. We’re going to work towards finding a good balance between quality and wait times.
Disconnection Handling
Currently, the SBMM system doesn’t handle disconnects as well as it could. We’re looking to make adjustments to handle them better and make sure disconnects are treated fairly when altering someone’s rating.
Extended Breaks
When someone takes an extended break from the game, their rating does not change. This isn’t ideal since you’re bound to be a little rusty after not playing for a while, and returning to difficult matches is a recipe for a frustrating night. We’re hoping to introduce a mechanic that adjusts your rating(s) when you’ve been gone for a while to ease you back in when you return.
General Improvements
This one is a little more technical: The game will detect which server you have the best connection to and match you with other players who are close to that server. This works well enough, but if you’re right between two servers, you’ll only be matched with one set of players. For players who have good connections to more than one server, we’d like to open up matchmaking and allow them to find matches with either set of players. This can help balance out queue times at off-peak hours and even improve the quality of the matches made.
As a note, these changes will take a while to develop, but we’re confident that these will make notable improvements on the matchmaking system.
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Future: Solo Survivor Experience
If you’re reading this, you’ve been left on the hook at some point. Okay, maybe not, but the chances are very high.
Thanks to Skill Based Matchmaking ratings, we’re able to see the impact playing with a premade group has on the outcome of a match at various skill levels. The data confirms our suspicions: As skill goes up, so does the gap in survival rates between solo survivors and premade groups. In the top end of skill levels, the difference in escape rates can be as much as 15%.
This isn’t great: This difference between solo Survivors and groups makes it difficult to find a perfect balance. If we balance Killers around premade groups, solo Survivors get left behind. Meanwhile, if we balance around solo Survivors, Killers will have a rough time against groups. With that in mind, we’re working on some measures to bridge the gap between solo Survivors and premade groups, which will allow us to better balance Killers as a result.
We’re aiming to strike a balance between making the solo player(s) feel like they’re a part of the team without being overbearing. For example, we want to share key pieces of information, like “What are my teammates doing?”, but not too much info, like showing everyone’s exact location. To put it simply, the idea is to bring solo Survivors up to the same level, not give people excessive information that makes even premade groups stronger.
We want to share a very early peek at one potential way of closing this gap. Before we do, we want to stress that this is in the very early stages; we’re curious to hear what you think, but please keep in mind that it may change or even be scrapped entirely.
One feature we are experimenting with is a status icon next to each Survivor’s portrait in the HUD that lets you know what they are doing. This way, solo Survivors can base their decision around what their teammates are doing, and partial groups get a better idea of their solo teammates’ contributions, making everyone feel like more of a team. This is something that can already be easily conveyed with a quick callout over voice chat, but is currently not available to solo Survivors.
Once again, this is a very early preview- so early that we’re still discussing this internally. Feel free to share your thoughts, but please keep in mind that none of this is final or confirmed. Depending on how things go, this feature may be changed or scrapped entirely before it ever sees the light of day. We wanted to be open about this and keep you in the loop: The gap between solo Survivors and groups is not going under the radar, it’s something we’re actively working on.
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New Betas Tab
Sometimes we think up some experimental features that we’d love some feedback and data on, but they aren’t quite ready to release into the wild just yet. Enter the Betas tab!
Next time you head to the Settings menu, you’ll see a new Betas tab. Here, you’ll find betas for upcoming features that you can opt in or out of as you please. Want to share your thoughts on something early on? Awesome, opt in!
The icing on the cake: You’ll be rewarded with extra Bloodpoints for the first bunch of matches you play with a beta activated.
Unlike the Player Test Build, these Betas are also available on consoles. Everyone’s invited!
So, the only question is, what’s the first beta going to be? How about…
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Wiggle Update
Last year, we changed struggling from button mashing to skill checks, making it much more accessible and a lot easier on your buttons & keys. We’ve been working on a similar update to wiggling as well, and we’re finally ready to share it with you.
Instead of mashing buttons, you’ll see a skill check while being carried- only this one has two zones and doesn’t go away when you hit it. Instead, hitting the skill check successfully will cause it to switch directions and gradually fill your wiggle meter. Keep hitting those skill checks to keep wiggling!
This interaction keeps wiggling interactive while requiring far fewer inputs and is much easier on your joysticks, making it more accessible to players with repetitive strain injuries. Additionally, each side of the skill check can optionally be bound to a different button to further increase the gap between repeated button presses.
This update will first appear in the betas tab, allowing you to opt in as you please.
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Toggle Interactions
On the topic of accessibility, another feature that will be debuting with this update is a toggle mode for interactions. This new option, which can be enabled in the Settings, makes holding a button for long periods of time a thing of the past. Simply press the button to start the interaction and press it again to stop it.
To go with it, you’ll also find a new option to cancel interactions by sprinting. Enabling this will automatically cancel actions and cause you to start running whenever you sprint.
Our goals with these new settings are to make Dead by Daylight more accessible, and to provide an alternative for players that don’t wish to hold a button for the entire length of an interaction. Plus, this frees up a hand so you can take a drink while hitting skill checks! (We’ll still predict when you’re taking a drink and give you a skill check, though, that’s our favourite feature.)
If you’ve made it this far, you’ve earned yourself a break from reading - check back tomorrow for part 2! But before you go, we have one last bit of news for today: The Player Test Build opens Wednesday, January 5th. See you there!
The Dead by Daylight team
Comments
It's icons, dude. They gotta need at least one more year to implement something this revolutionary and complex.
Because since then killrates plummeted below their threshold, most likely below 50% since thats their target goal. So my guess is they holding back giving survs even more buffs at the moment.
It's not that complex, specially not a year long complex.
Source: I've worked on games before and have a degree in game design.
Solo Q needs a buff. Solo escape rates were already below 50%.
Last time they showed kill rates every killer was above 50%, and if the difference between solo and SWF survivability is 10-15%, just make the math there.
You know he is kidding, right?
In their anniversary stream, they said they wanted to talk about things that will be coming this year, not talk about the hopes and dreams of things they wish they could implement at some point in the future.
It'll likely come next year, or next anniversary, if at all 🤞
"Last time they showed stats" have nothing to do with recent dev post stating kill rates were too low. Kill rates are not 50% anymore they are so low they won't even show the stats. Old stat graphs are meaningless in current meta
You changed the UI to accommodate new features to it easier and decided not to do anything with it, BHVR?
On a tangent, when the devs in this big midchapter update blog said that “kill rates are too low” they weren’t necessarily saying the overall 55% kill rates across all matches figure is too low. When they look at stats for balance purposes they actually look at them stratified by MMR bracket, such as in the charts they showed where they graphed out perk usage by MMR bracket. So what might be happening is that while the overall kill rate is 55% across all matches in the game, in the above average MMR games the kill rate is below 50% and they want to beef up the kill rates somewhat so that matches between relatively skilled players are around that 55% mark.
Hard to know for sure, though. I’d love to see a graph of kill rates in matches by MMR like they did for perk usage by MMR to see if I’m guessing right about that.
Oh for sure, I’m not upset or anything if it got scrapped. I’m just curious what’s up with it.
Yeah I don’t understand how it wasn’t mentioned in the anniversary stream.
How do you know that they aim for 50%?
Them stating that they want the Killer to be an unstoppable force sounds like that they want more than 50%. Even when Killrates were mostly at 60%+ they did not nerf Killers.
50% is not their goal for Killrates.
Are you new to these forums? A lot of people aren't very bright. He could have just added /s.
So why not show the graph with the stats this time?
I’d love to see a kill rate by MMR graph similar to the perk usage by MMR graphs they did in the big perk update blogs.
Been wondering this ever since the 6th year stream. Shocked it wasn't brought up there.
Yea I would also like to see that. Idk why they show graphs all the time but this time to show that kills are low they didnt show it.
Devs have stated many times they aim for 2e 2k. They have been saying they want 2e 2k since I started in 2017.
https://forum.deadbydaylight.com/en/discussion/320039/is-it-true-that-the-game-is-balanced-for-2k-2e
I think that one was pretty obvious, dude.
I'll ask again, are you new to these forums? Have you read the quantity of dumb posts on here specially the last few days?
Some things are not so obvious anymore.
“If you’re going to be sarcastic you should really warn people so there’s no confusion….”
https://youtu.be/OCOxIFvmuQ4The reason I'm always hesitating doing humour in the forums. Most people take it literally. Like people can't read between the lines, while it seemed obvious it was a joke.
Peacemaker is a show that was way better than it had any right to be. Vigilante was easily the biggest breakout character in one of the most surprisingly fun breakout shows this year. 👍
To be fair, I believe the last time they showed the kill rates, it was before MMR took a hold of the game. The numbers must've changed as a result for them to acknowledge that kill rates were lower than ideal (though we can only guess that atm).
That said, I still very much support adding the Survivor icons to give solo players a much-needed boost.
I certainly haven't given up hope yet that these changes will come into DBD. But yeah, I wish they would have touched on that during the anniversary stream, and it is concerning that they didn't.
They mention in their post that it's just an idea, and that there hasn't been any form of implementation yet. And seeing how massive the upcomng patch is, they probably haven't had time yet. So I am at least hopeful that it will still make it into the game in the future, it is very much a needed feature.
They may have had a change of heart.
The biggest concern is redundancy.
If there are icons, why do survivors need core information perks? What good are information perks?
Knowing Behavior, they often lock these kinds of updates behind perks. You may see in the next couple patches a 'Inner Information' perk that allows survivors to see the icons of their allies interactions.
By that logic, if killers recovery from hit attacks is faster in basekit and so is breaking pallets, why do they need brutal strength and STBL?
It's likely not coming anytime soon, if at all
Poe's Law, and in this forum it use is very strong since there are outrageous claims and demands posted every single day.
Don't look at me, I'm not the one designing the game.
History has proven that the devs have been reluctant to make these changes up until now - so if I had to bet on a horse, it would be that they're going to lock the change behind a perk.
The whole point of their icons was that it didn't need to be a perk for solo survivors. It's supposed to be something that benefits solos more than swfs without needing anything special in the loadout.
If BHVR scrapped the solo queue ideas than what was the point of them even bringing it up??? Don’t introduce something if you’re not gonna go through with it.
I get that - but knowing the track record of the developers, my best guess is they may be torn on the subject.
To write the code they literally need one-two days. + finalization of the concept + icons + testing, that can result in two weeks maybe. I don't know why it's taking so long, maybe it has very low priority or maybe they dropped the idea, which would be a bummer. The problem with soloQ vs SWF isn't going to magically disappear. I hope they will update us on this soon.
Maybe but I’m not sure what would be controversial, plus for them to announce it means they were all generally onboard with it. I’m leaning towards it taking a backseat to all the other things in the pipeline.
The thing is they probably want to implement something more than just icons.....I mean really icons yes that would be a great way to shorten the info gap between swf and solo but I highly fought that's all up their sleeves
That's entirely different things because speed stacks but information doesn't.
Pretty sure it's been abandoned. They said in the 6th anniversary stream that they made promises the previous year that they didn't keep and they won't do that again. Zero mention of the icon change the whole stream, and no acknowledgement of solo queue disadvantages like they did the previous year.
I think that since the mods do comment on here quite a bit, and have chosen not to answer any posts on this subject we can probably expect that it is not good news. Just like what happened with the Start Game Uncollapse and 60 fps on last gen consoles. If it was still being worked on, I'm sure somebody would have set our minds at ease, even if it was delayed quite a bit.
The last gen console performance situation is so awful, after everything we tried to do… it seemed like it was all for nothing.
I would definitely like an update on this bhvr! It really shouldn't be that hard to implement, idk why it's taking so long, and haven't mentioned anything about it since it was announced, and it also wasn't mentioned in the anniversary stream for plans over the next year. Come on bhvr.
The fact that they're not responding about this makes it pretty clear they have either made next to no progress on this or they're scrapped the idea altogether.
They're not gone or forgotten, they're just on the backburner at the moment. We revealed this very early on and it hasn't been slated for any particular update yet. The rest of the year is already booked with other changes- the ones mentioned during the anniversary stream & in the roadmap- but we'll come back to it once we have some time.
The QOL changes for the foreseeable future are here, in case you missed it:
They did not announce anything. They explicitly stated it was just an idea and that it could be scrapped again.
At least they were more honest with that than with their "whenever we make changes we consider how it would affect SWF and solos" statement. The new Overcharge for example is going to be so much more likely to reach its full power against solo groups, because I can't tell my teammates that my gen that was just over 90% got kicked and they should go and stop it from regression.
Kind of a shame really, it's definitely more important than something like choosing 2 challenges in archives instead of 1 or matchmaking incentives as it actually improves the gameplay but oh welp. Hopefully next year !
You guys put tackling one of DbD's biggest design challenges on the back burner? Why?
You revealed something that you weren't planning on implementing for at least a year. That's cold-blooded.
Great! Glad to hear they’re still in the queue at some point. 🙂
To be fair they said it was in “early development” and probably didn’t realize how much of the pipeline was going to be taken up by this massive perk and base game revamp they did over the last few months.
Also, we still haven’t been given any clue of how killers are supposed to be compensated if solo q is buffed.